Well-respected educator leaves legacy of service

By Megan Beyer, Sun Journal Staff

Published: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 07:03 PM.

A wake and viewing for Johnson is scheduled for Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. John Church of Christ in Dover. A celebration of life service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the United American Freewill Baptist Headquarters, J.E. Reddick Tabernacle, in Kinston.

Megan Beyer can be reached at 252-635-5671 or megan.beyer@newbernsj.com.

The death of a well-respected local educator and pastor has left a sense of sadness that lingers in the community among educators, administrators, family and friends.

With family gathered around him, Gerald K. Johnson, former assistant superintendent of Human Resources for the Craven County Schools, died Tuesday at his home after an illness. He was 55.

“If you didn’t like Gerald Johnson, it was probably something on your end,” said Robert Kelley, who worked with him at the school system’s central office.

Johnson had retired from the school system in 2012 after dedicating his life to children and education. A Christian, Johnson also had served as pastor at a church in Selma and was a recipient of North Carolina’s Order of the Longleaf Pine Award from the governor.

Johnson was a native of Dover and graduated from West Craven High School in 1976. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Fayetteville State University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University.

Johnson worked at schools in Lenoir and Jones counties. His career in the Craven County Schools system began in 1985, when he became assistant principal at Havelock Middle School.

Throughout the next eight years, Johnson would become assistant principal at James W. Smith Elementary School, then student services director for the school system.

In 1993, Johnson accepted the position of principal at J.T Barber Elementary School in New Bern. During his tenure at J.T. Barber, he helped transform the school into a North Carolina School of Excellence.

While serving as principal at J.T. Barber, Johnson was named the Wachovia Principal of the Year for Craven County in 2005. He went on to become the Southeast Region Wachovia Principal of the Year the same year.

He was well liked by students, parents and co-workers at J.T. Barber.

Former student Davon Drew attended the school during the fifth grade and recalled a specific memory of Johnson that he has held onto throughout the years.

Cheryl Eubanks worked for Johnson at J.T. Barber Elementary and would later work for him in the school system’s Human Resources office.

“I worked for him for 14 years,” she said. “All of my children went to school at J.T. Barber and they loved him. Everyone did.”

Eubanks remembered that, as principal at J.T. Barber, Johnson brought life to the school and once rode a skateboard down the hallway while wearing a wedding dress.

“He was an ugly bride,” she said.

Eubanks and others in the school system’s Human Resources office spent much of Wednesday fielding calls about Johnson’s funeral arrangements. Outside the office, a wreath with white roses and a picture of Johnson hung from the door.

“He is one of the finest men I’ve ever met,” Eubanks said, fighting through heartbreak and tears. “The thing that stands out about him more than anything else is the love and integrity in which he treated people. He was a godly man and one of my dearest friends. We’re really going to miss him.”

Kelley recalled that Johnson’s decision to leave J.T. Barber to become assistant superintendent was a difficult one.

“It was tough for him to leave the school because his life was in the school, but when he did come over, he made just as much of an impact here as he did in the school,” he said.

Kelley said Johnson brought a different atmosphere when he moved to the central office, loosening everything up and making it lively.

Memories of Johnson date back to 1988 for Ervin Patrick, director of Human Resource Services at the central office. At that time, Patrick was in the fifth grade at James W. Smith Elementary.

“My first impression of Mr. Johnson was I thought he was the tallest man I’d ever seen,” Patrick said. “He was just a very gentle spirit.”

When he applied for a position at central office in 2006, Patrick never imagined Johnson would be on the other side of the desk to conduct the interview process.

“It isn’t everyday that your elementary principal, mentor and supervisor becomes one of your very best friends, and that’s how I consider Mr. Johnson,” he said.

In 2012, after working as assistant superintendent for five years, Johnson retired.

In June, the media center at J.T. Barber was named “Gerald K. Johnson Media Center” to show appreciation for his many years and dedication to the students of the school.

Eubanks recalls that on her last visit with Johnson, he said he could not wait until he was better so he could read to the students in the newly dedicated media center.

A wake and viewing for Johnson is scheduled for Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. John Church of Christ in Dover. A celebration of life service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the United American Freewill Baptist Headquarters, J.E. Reddick Tabernacle, in Kinston.

Megan Beyer can be reached at 252-635-5671 or megan.beyer@newbernsj.com.